This fall Audi’s first electric car, the R8 e-tron will arrive in Audi showrooms, and it just set a world record by the completing a lap on Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife faster than any other production vehicle with an electric drive system! Racing driver Markus Winkelhock piloted the all-electric sports car around the demanding 12.92-mile track in a record setting 8:09.099 minutes.

The Nürburgring Nordschleife track is easily labeled as the “the toughest test track in the world,” which is why many automakers use the track to gauge the performance of their most capable models. The fact that the R8 e-tron electric car now holds the world record with the fastest time around the track attests to the amazing performance we can expect later this year.

“The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world,” said Michael Dick, Audi AG Board Member for Technical Development. Dick, who completed a fast lap himself in the R8 e-tron, added: “The record-setting drive confirmed that we are on the right track. To us, electric mobility has never been about sacrifice, but rather is about emotion, sportiness and driving pleasure.”

The Audi R8 e-tron is powered by a 375 horsepower electric drive system and a 49 KWh lithium-ion battery pack that gives it a range up to 133 miles on a single charge. The world record for the R8 e-tron follows Audi’s win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro – the first overall victory for a hybrid-electric vehicle in the toughest race in the world.